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Development of a minimally invasive approach to equine cervical articular facet joints for placement of an ND:YAG LASER.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a minimally invasive approach to equine cervical articular facet joints for application of an ND:YAG LASER and to evaluate the effects of the laser fiber on the surrounding tissue. Under general anesthesia, an ND:YAG LASER was used to apply 2000 J of energy to 5 cervical articular facet joints in 3 horses (15 joints total). Horses were euthanized and the cervical facets and spinal cords were examined grossly and histologically. Gross pathology of the articular facets revealed evidence of articular cartilage charring and diffuse roughening of the surface. Histopathology confirmed coagulative necrosis. This novel technique allowed access to the cervical articular facet joints with the ND:YAG LASER and has the potential to allow performance of a minimally invasive facilitated ankylosis procedure. Further validation in sedated, standing horses is required to establish safety and efficacy of this technique. Développement d’une approche minimalement invasive pour les facettes vertébrales lombaires équines pour le placement d’un LASER ND:YAG. Le but de cette étude était de développer une approche minimalement invasive pour l’application d’un LASER ND:YAG sur les facettes vertébrales lombaires équines et l’évaluation des effets de la fibre laser sur les tissus environnants. Sous anesthésie générale, un LASER ND:YAG a été utilisé pour appliquer 2000 J d’énergie à 5 facettes vertébrales lombaires chez 3 chevaux (total de 15 articulations). Les chevaux ont été euthanasiés et les facettes vertébrales et les colonnes vertébrales ont été examinées macroscopiquement et histologiquement. La pathologie macroscopique des facettes vertébrales lombaires a révélé des preuves de carbonisation du cartilage dens articulaires et un durcissement diffus de la surface. L’histopathologie a confirmé la nécrose decoagulatio. Cette technique nouvelle a permis l’accès aux facettes vertébrales lombaires avec le LASER ND:YAG et a le potentiel de permettre la réalisation d’interventions d’ankylose minimalement invasives. De nouvelles études de validation chez des chevaux debout sous sédation sont requises pour établir l’innocuité et l’efficacité de cette technique.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).
Publication Date: 2017-11-02 PubMed ID: 29089655PubMed Central: PMC5640282 The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This study aimed to develop and evaluate a minimally invasive technique using an ND:YAG LASER to treat equine cervical articular facet joints.
Research Methodology
- The study was executed on three horses, targeting five cervical articular facet joints in each (totally 15 joints).
- The researchers used an ND:YAG LASER to apply 2000 Joules of energy to each joint while the horses were under general anesthesia.
- After the procedure, the horses were euthanized and the treated joints and spinal cords were subjected to examinations both visually (gross pathology) and under a microscope (histopathology).
Research Findings
- Visual examination revealed charring of the articular cartilage in the treated joints and a roughening of their surfaces.
- Microscopic examination confirmed the occurrence of coagulative necrosis, a form of cell death in which the cell proteins become denatured.
- The technique proved to be a potentially viable method for performing minimally invasive facilitated ankylosis procedures (surgeries for joint fusion). This could be an advantage in treating equine spine disorders associated with instability or pain.
Research Conclusions and Further Work
- The developed method successfully allowed the use of ND:YAG LASER for reaching and treating the equine cervical articular facet joints.
- The research concludes on the note specifying the potential of this novel technique in performing minimally invasive surgeries, specifically for facilitating ankylosis.
- However, it also underlines the need for further validation with studies conducted on standing, sedated horses to substantiate the safety and effectiveness of this technique.
Cite This Article
APA
Shearer TR, Kinsley MA, Pease AP, Patterson JS.
(2017).
Development of a minimally invasive approach to equine cervical articular facet joints for placement of an ND:YAG LASER.
Can Vet J, 58(11), 1181-1186.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Shearer, Kinsley, Pease), Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health and Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation (Patterson), College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Shearer, Kinsley, Pease), Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health and Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation (Patterson), College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Shearer, Kinsley, Pease), Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health and Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation (Patterson), College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Shearer, Kinsley, Pease), Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health and Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation (Patterson), College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cartilage, Articular / surgery
- Cervical Vertebrae / surgery
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Laser Therapy / instrumentation
- Laser Therapy / veterinary
- Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / instrumentation
- Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / veterinary
- Osteoarthritis / surgery
- Osteoarthritis / veterinary
- Treatment Outcome
Conflict of Interest Statement
Use of this article is limited to a single copy for personal study. Anyone interested in obtaining reprints should contact the CVMA office (hbroughton@cvma-acmv.org) for additional copies or permission to use this material elsewhere.
References
This article includes 19 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Kang HY, Kim SY, Lee CH, Park SW. Transforaminal Epiduroscopic Laser Ablation for Removal of a Postlaminectomy Synovial Cyst: A Case Report. Medicina (Kaunas) 2020 Apr 25;56(5).
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